caulk/glue storage in the cold - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

platinumLLC · 05-09-2009, 05:51 PM

Now that it's just getting warm I'll ask a question about the cold!

I am going to be getting a new trailer in the next couple of weeks and I looked threw all the trailer threads and some guys mentioned storing caulk in an insulated compartment in their trailer. I'm looking for some ideas so I can put shelves and storage in when I get the trailer. How do you store your caulk and other things that aren't supposed to freeze? Do you just build a box out of ridgid foam? Also saw some mention using a lamp to produce heat. Any pictures of how you store caulk, glue and other items that go bad when they freeze

Darwin · 05-09-2009, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

Now that it's just getting warm I'll ask a question about the cold!

I am going to be getting a new trailer in the next couple of weeks and I looked threw all the trailer threads and some guys mentioned storing caulk in an insulated compartment in their trailer. I'm looking for some ideas so I can put shelves and storage in when I get the trailer. How do you store your caulk and other things that aren't supposed to freeze? Do you just build a box out of ridgid foam? Also saw some mention using a lamp to produce heat. Any pictures of how you store caulk, glue and other items that go bad when they freeze

Springtime is here..Don't have to worry 'til next winter..

platinumLLC · 05-09-2009, 06:01 PM

Ya but would like to build something into the trailer to keep it from freezing when the cold does return! Figured since I'm going to be building all new shelving now would be the time to take care of that issue to.

SLSTech · 05-09-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

Any pictures of how you store caulk, glue and other items that go bad when they freeze

When they go bad I store them here

Pull a search - people store them in coolers, have thermostats, or just do what I do & pull them in for the night

platinumLLC · 05-09-2009, 06:30 PM

That is where my bad ones get thrown also but would like to keep a small stock of caulk and glue and not have to worry about it going bad and having to throw money down the drain. I have been searching all afternoon on trailer ideas and did a search for caulk storage but nothing came up. I don't really want to drag a bunch of tubes inside every night if I can store them outside. A cooler is a good idea. Durable and comes with a premade door! Wonder if you could leave them in there all winter and have to worry about them? Or maybe there is a heat matt that I could put in there to supply a small amount of warmth to keep them from freezing? Thanks

tomstruble · 05-09-2009, 08:33 PM

how about a battery operated heated sock that you slip over the tube before you put it in the gun.

Huh? could be a good invention for somebody

Tinstaafl · 05-09-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLSTech

Pull a search - people store them in coolers, have thermostats, or just do what I do & pull them in for the night

In my former life as an electronics field service tech, I had a van full of chemicals, instruments with temp-sensitive LCD displays and so forth. Pulling all that stuff in for the night was just more of a PITA than I was willing to deal with.

I punched a hole in the side of the van and mounted a male electrical socket for an extension cord, with a couple of outlets inside. That allowed me to run a small space heater overnight in cold weather, as well as using the van as a mobile workshop.

Bonus: No waiting for the engine heater to warm up in the morning, and no hard-frozen ice on the windows.

platinumLLC · 05-09-2009, 10:05 PM

I have a small space heater so maybe I'll wait till winter and see if it can keep the whole trailer above freezing. Probably be better for all the tools. Ever worry about a fire starting somehow or is it pretty safe? Thanks for your help

Cole82 · 05-09-2009, 10:42 PM

I use a heat mat for dogs. Just stack the caulk on top of it, it stays on the shelf all year. IT works geeat for a bout 15 tubes down to 0 deg.

Tinstaafl · 05-09-2009, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

Ever worry about a fire starting somehow or is it pretty safe?

No worries at all. If it's safe to use in your house, it certainly ought to be safe in a much smaller "structure."

But I'll be the first to admit that it's probably overkill for a few tubes of caulk in a trailer. A space heater uses 10X the power of a light bulb in a box, which would suffice to keep them from freezing in all but the coldest weather.

Mike Finley · 05-10-2009, 07:20 AM

A little higher tech system if you are wanting something you don't have to mess with:

We are adding another job trailer to the company and on this one we will incorporate a caulk protecting system.

Here is what we are doing -

#1 ordered the trailer with battery boxes in the floor this time. (this isn't necessary for everyone, but since we order the trailer new you might as well get it the way you want)

#2 Get a 12 volt deep cycle battery dedicated to the "caulk box"

#3 Buy a flexible solar power charging mat. (call the company and have them spec out what you need) You'll probably need one of their little brain box charging things to help prevent any charging problems) Mount it on the roof an d run the leads to the battery.

http://www.solardirect.com/pv/consum...power-film.htm

#4 Create an insulated box of some sort. Either a cooler or something else. (We always have a work bench in the front of the trailer and one side has a door, inside this we will install sheet foam and spray foam to make an air tight insulated box)

#5 Run wires from your battery to the box and hook up a small wattage light bulb.

This should in theory create a self contained, self maintained system to keep your caulks from freezing. The size of the battery/number of batteries, size of the charging mat and light bulb will all be determined by trial and error to some degree.

Darwin · 05-10-2009, 07:32 AM

I was thinking the same thing. Get a beverage cooler-but-I couldn't think of how to keep it warm...

JonM · 05-10-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

I have a small space heater so maybe I'll wait till winter and see if it can keep the whole trailer above freezing. Probably be better for all the tools. Ever worry about a fire starting somehow or is it pretty safe? Thanks for your help

If you are considering keeping the whole trailer above freezing...I would look at the oil filled radiators...I have one in a cabinet that lays flat.

tomstruble · 05-10-2009, 07:48 AM

i think i remember a cooler that also could heat

yea heres one

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060...er-and-cooler/

Cole82 · 05-10-2009, 08:04 AM

To me it seams like you guys are over thinking this. Makeing boxes or coolers that heat etc. A space heater for the whole trailer or a heat mat work well. I know for me I plug my trailer in to customers houses or my own house. So my chargers and lights are ready to go when I walk in the trailer. So my $30 caulk saver is allways heating when I turn the switch on.

After typeing all that I just relized some of you guys might be working at new construction where overnight electric might not be available.

Cole

SLSTech · 05-10-2009, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

I have a small space heater so maybe I'll wait till winter and see if it can keep the whole trailer above freezing. Probably be better for all the tools. Ever worry about a fire starting somehow or is it pretty safe? Thanks for your help

If you store gas in there or other flammable items that release vapors I would worry about it, beyond that you should be fine. As a quick note - most elect heaters want 3 feet open space in front of & behind the heater

platinumLLC · 05-10-2009, 08:36 AM

Mike Finley-Are you going to mount your solar panel on top of your trailer as a permanent thing? If so wouldn't it get covered by snow in the winter and not charge your battery?

Think I'm going to try a small space heater to keep the whole trailer heated. Probably could have got a good deal on one a month or two ago. All else fails maybe I'll just plug in the torpedo heaters.

If the small space heater doesn't work maybe I'll try a cooler with a small pad heater like the ones they have for reptile cages. Guess I'll just have to experiment. Thanks for all the good ideas everyone

twilson · 05-10-2009, 08:51 AM

If all you arre doing is to keep the caulking from freezing what about trying a heating pad. The type that you get from the drug store. Put it into a cooler so that when you are not near a power source they will not freeze down.

I agree in the middle of the winter it is a pain to take all the material that is not to freeze out of the work truck and into the house or shop.

Mike Finley · 05-10-2009, 10:13 AM

For us we need a solution that doesn't need to be plugged in, our trailers don't come home at night nor do I want extension cords running willy-nilly tripping kids and old ladies.

, or worries about cords being stolen or vandalized.

Also everything I do I want idiot proofed to the max. I can't rely nor would I want to force employees dedicate themselves to caulk patrol when we have a million more things that are more important and since we can figure out a system as simple as keeping the caulk in a box and let the system do everything else we will do that.

This is like your refrigerator at home, do you want to spend time turning a hand crank or rememberting to shake your refrigerator or pushing a reset button or doing anything to it all the time or do you just want to open it and find out the milk is still cold?

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumLLC

Mike Finley-Are you going to mount your solar panel on top of your trailer as a permanent thing? If so wouldn't it get covered by snow in the winter and not charge your battery?

Yes, these panels have grommet holes on the 4 corners, we simply bolt them on the roof and forget about them. If you get a lot of snow I think you'll have different issues then we do. Here snow doesn't stick around, we have 300 days of sunshine.

If you get a lot of snow or not as much sunshine, it's probably only a matter of adding another battery to make it through till the sunshines or a combination of a larger solar panel.

I know the system will work because this is the same system we already use for our trailer alarms, a solar panel trickle charges a 12v battery, it's self contained, zero maintenance, we haven't touched that system in over 3 years now.

Javelin350 · 09-27-2009, 09:04 PM

cheap and easy put them in front of a 500wat halogen work light